Paperboard can carton



July 10, 1956 T. L. SCHMIDT ETAL PAPERBOARD CAN CARTON Filed May 10, 1954 FIG.2 37

INVENTORS SCHMIDT JOHN O. BACH TRUEMAN L L JM ATTORNEYS United States Patent PAPERBOARD CAN CARTON Trueman L. Schmidt and John 0. Bach, Olympia, Wash, assignors to Olympia Brewing Company, Olympia, Wash., a corporation of Washington Application May '10, 1954, Serial No. 428,511

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-51) This invention relates to improvements in containers and particularly to improvements in disposable paperboard cartons for holding cans.

With most prior can cartons, in order to remove a can it is necessary to so tear and disassemble the carton that the carton is rendered unsightly and usually unfit for further service as a container. Thus, the remaining cans must also be removed and stored elsewhere and the ruined carton discarded.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a can carton constructed to permit removal of cans at the desire of the buyer without requiring destruction of the carton. More particularly, the can carton of the present invention is characterized by having formed in the top wall thereof a tear flap which is adapted to be pulled outwardly and which is of a size so as to expose the entire end of at least one and preferably two cans to facilitate removal of cans through the flap opening.

The carton of the present invention is still further characterized by having formed in its top wall a finger hole located at the forward edge of the tear flap and generally above a vertically extending space provided between four adjacent cans in the carton. Thus, the buyer may insert a finger through the hole into said space, hook his finger under the flap and pull it outwardly to an open position.

The carton of the present invention is further characterized by having formed in its top wall several finger holes to facilitate carrying the carton, wherein one of the finger holes facilitates opening a tear flap formed in the top wall, and wherein all the holes are so located that the carton may be carried without danger of tearing the flap open.

Various other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a filled can carton embodying the concepts of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the carton disclosed in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view showing the tear flap pulled outwardly to expose two of the cans within the carton; and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the drawings disclose a disposable paperboard rectangular carton filled with cans. The carton includes a top wall 11, two side walls 13 and 15, a bottom wall 17, and end walls 19 and 21.

Filling the carton are a plurality of cans, six being shown and arranged in an upright, side-by-side relation of two contiguous rows of three cans each. The cans are identical, but for convenience in description the lefthand two cans in Fig. 4 are designated by the reference Cit 2,754,047 Patented July 10, 1956 numeral 22, the middle pair of cans by the reference numeral 23, and the right-hand pair by the reference numeral 24. It is apparent that there are provided between the cans two vertically extending spaces 25 and 27.

Formed in top wall 11 are two generally square finger holes 29 and 31, disposed in substantial register with vertical spaces 25 and 27, respectively, and being oriented similarly to such spaces, as is best shown in Fig. 2. Thus, the holes have their side edges disposed obliquely with reference to the side and end edges of the top wall 11.

It is apparent from Fig. 2 that each of holes 29 and 31 is generally smaller than the cross-sectional area of the vertically extending space therebeneath. There are thus provided overhanging top wall lip portions 30 and 32 at the corner edges of the holes 29 and 31, respectively, and top wall lip portions of a lesser extent at the side edges of the holes, for a reason to appear hereinafter.

Formed in top wall 11 adjacent one end thereof is a generally U-shaped tear line facing toward the adjacent end of the top wall. The tear line has an essentially straight transverse portion 35 extending across the top wall along a path through the center of finger hole 29 and spaced from the adjacent end edge of the top wall a distance substantially equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of a can. Each end of tear line portion 35 extends to a point closely adjacent the associated side edge of top wall 11 and there connects to a leg portion 37 of the tear line. Each leg portion 37 extends generally longitudinally of the top wall toward the adjacent end of the top wall and terminates at the adjacent end edge of said top wall. It is apparent that the leg portions of the tear line are separated by a distance substantially equal to two can diameters, and that the tear line defines a tear flap 39 of a size which substantially overlies the entire upper ends of cans 22.

In use, the buyer may carry the carton, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, by hooking his index finger and thumb respectively around the adjacent overhanging lip portions 30 and 32 of holes 29 and 31 respectively. Since the just mentioned lip portions are integral with the portion of the solid, or unscored, portion of the top wall, there is no danger of ripping the flap open while the buyer is carrying the carton.

When the buyer desires to remove one or more of the cans from the carton, he may insert his index finger through hole 29 and hook it around the overhanging lip at the forward edge of flap 39, in the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3,. and by exerting an outward pull, rip the flap to an open position to thus expose the entire upper ends of cans 22, as shown in Fig. 5. It is evident that the carton is left in substantially its original condition and thus is suitable for continued storage of the remaining cans. One or both of the cans 22 may be removed through the flap opening and the flap then returned to its closed position where it will remain because of the inter-engagement of the torn tear line edge portions. The remaining cans may be removed at a subsequent time, or at the time of removal of cans 22, by merely tilting the carton to shift such cans, successively, into register with the fiap opening.

Fig. 6 shows a carton construction similar to that shown in Fig. 2, but differing therefrom in that the tear line 45 is rectangular instead of U-shaped to define a section 47, which may be entirely removed.

The present invention has provided a disposable can carton formed to permit removal of one or more cans without destroying the carton. The carton is provided with several finger holes which permit the carton to be carried, and one of the holes also facilitates opening of a tear line flap or section in the top wall. However, the holes are so located that the carton may be carried without danger of ripping open the flap or section during the carrying operation.

Having described the invention in what is considered to be the preferred embodiment thereof, it is desired that it be understood that" the-invention is not to-be limited byeach, said carton havingtop and bottorn' panels joined byside and endpanels, said top panel being rectangular and having a lengthoneand' one-halftimes-that of its width,

said top panel having formed therein twofinger holesspaced apart along the longitudinal center line thereof, each hole being equidistantly spaced from the adjacent end of said' carton and the other hole whereby when said carton is filled the center cans will form with end pairs of cans a finger-entering space in register with each of said finger holes, said top panelhaving a. tear-line, formed therein including a transverse portion centrally intersectin gonefinger hole andextending substantially completely across said top panel, said tear-line including a longitudinally extending portion extending from each end of said transverse tear-line portion substantially to the adjacent end of said carton whereby said tear-line defines a flap of a size to overlie two cans; and whereby the carton may be lifted without directly stressing the tear-line by hooking two fingers under'the-adjacent edges of the finger holes, and may be opened by hooking a, finger through said one finger. hole and under the tear-line flap and pulling outwardly thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNIilFED" STATES PATENTS 2,284,989 Rue June 2, 1942 2,287,520 Freshwaters June 23, 1942 2,473,492 Shivav June 14, 1949 2,684,759 Freeman July 27, 19541 FOREIGN PATENTS 485,447 Great Britain May 19, 1938. 

